Faith
by Ellivia22
Summary: Zack's eyes dart back and forth between the laptop on the coffee table, and at me. He's trying to decide which is worse: checking his grades, or admitting that he's scared. Zack/Cody NOT twincest! Read and review, please!


(A/N: Hello all! I've had this story in my mind for two weeks, so I figured I might as well post it. I really hope you like it. And as always, thank you guys so much for your support. Love, Ellivia22~)

Disclaimer: If I owned Suite Life, I would be living somewhere much warmer than where I am right now :)

******Faith**

******By: Ellivia22**

******Cody**

Eyes. Eyes have to be the organ in the human body that shows the most emotion. No matter how hard we try to hide how we are feeling, our eyes always betray us. My twin brother, Zack, is definitely not an exception.

Zack and I have been in a silent staring contest for at least five minutes, maybe longer. Neither of us have said a word. I don't need to ask him what he's feeling. The depths of his blue eyes are telling me all I need to know.

Terrified. Zack is completely and utterly terrified, and as the feeling continues to build, the more obvious it's becoming. I've been used to reading his eyes all our lives, because it was the only way to know what he's feeling. Right now, they're screaming volumes in my head.

"It won't help you to keep putting it off," I say, breaking the long silence between us.

"Just drop it," Zack says with clenched teeth.

"I would, but I'm the least of your worries. You know Mom is going to keep asking until you do it."

A shade of color drains from his face. He looks away, making me the unannounced winner of our contest. I continue to stare at him, unsure of what to say next.

This argument has been going on ever since we both came home for Christmas break. It has been really frustrating, because I want to spend as much time with my brother as I can before we go back to school. Since we go to school in different states now, the opportunity to spend time together has become smaller. However, he is not making it easy. What are we arguing about you ask?

Grades. Grades of all things. The results of how we did for the first semester were put on the school website the first Monday of our vacation. I checked mine eagerly as soon as they were posted. All A's, like usual. Zack, on the other hand, has been putting of checking his all week. Mom and I have been trying to encourage him to check them. I have been pushing it, because the longer he puts it off, the worse he gets. I know he's smarter than people give him credit. I'm sure he did fine, as long as he didn't slack off too much.

I sigh. "I know you are scared, Zack, but it won't be so bad. How bad could they be?"

His head snaps up. His teeth are still gritted, his blue eyes blazing. "I am NOT scared!"

"Then check them."

Zack's eyes dart back and forth between the laptop on the coffee table, and at me. He's trying to decide which is worse: checking his grades, or admitting that he's scared. Slowly he sits on the couch and pulls the laptop towards him.

I sit down next to him on the couch. Zack types on his laptop quickly. He must really want to get this over with. I watch in surprise as Zack's mouth slowly drops open. "Oh my God," he whispers.

"What?"

As if in a trance, Zack pushes the laptop towards me. My eyes skim to the middle of the page. "Oh wow."

___World History_******____****A**

___English 105_******____****A**

___Biology 101_******____****A**

___Biology 101 lab_******____****A**

___Calculus_******____****A**

I look up from the laptop and back at my brother. His face is still full of shock. I am at a loss for words. I knew he was really smart. I feel bad for not giving him enough credit. I should've been more encouraging throughout the years. I want to congratulate him, tell him how proud I am. However, it seems that I have lost my voice.

"Don't bother saying anything," Zack snaps, his face now angry. His blue eyes are blazing, but full of pain at the same time. "I know how surprised you are. You never thought I was actually smart, did you?"

I stare at him, feeling hurt and confused. A hint of guilt is seeping in my insides. "That's not true. I knew you did fine. That's why I kept encouraging you to check your grades."

"Oh is that the reason? I thought it was so you could gloat to Mom about how much better you are. Well, the joke is on you!"

I feel as though he had just slapped me. Before I can utter another word, Zack storms in our bedroom and slams the door behind him.

I slump back on the couch, burying my head in my hands. Zack's words ring in my head. I hate fighting with him.

ZCZ

******Zack**

___I still can't believe I got straight A's, _I think to myself for the millionth time. ___All that hard work actually paid off._

Contrary to what everything thinks, I worked really hard this semester. I spent most of my time at the library. I only went out every now and then with my roommate.

I guess a part of it is my fault that Cody reacted that way. I didn't put enough effort in school growing up. Yet the way he reacted still really hurt. At the same time, I shouldn't have yelled at him like that. It's been two hours since our fight.

The door of my bedroom opens. I look up from the magazine I was attempting to read. Cody enters the room, carrying a plate of cookies and two glasses of milk in his arms.

"Hey," he says nervously. "I brought you some cookies and milk. Don't worry, I made them, not Mom."

He puts the milk and cookies on the nightstand next to my bed. I turn my attention back to my magazine in an attempt to ignore him. Cody sits next to me on the bed without my permission. I want to tell him to go away, but the point of a silent treatment is not to talk to that person.

He sighs. "Look, Zack. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I know you're smart-very smart. Hell, I think you're smarter than me. But I've gotten used to you slacking off for years, that I was surprised that you did so well. I was wrong. I'm sorry."

Still ignoring him, I reach over and grab one of the mouth-watering cookies on the plate. Cody always makes the best cookies. I turn my attention back to my magazine, forcing myself to ignore him. Maybe Cody will get the hint and go away.

Cody gets off the bed as if he read my mind. Since we are twins, he probably did. "Well, anyway, I also wanted to congratulate you for doing so well. I'm so very proud of you."

His words, so full of passion, are breaking through my vow of never speaking to him again. Cody is halfway to the door when I call him back. "Cody, wait."

He stops and turns around. I scoot over to make more room for him on the bed. It's time for one of our rare heart to hearts. A small smile spreads across his face. He walks over and joins me on the bed once more.

I put down my magazine and look at my brother. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You didn't deserve it."

Cody avoids my gaze. "Yes I did. For years I've expressed how much smarter I am than you. By doing so, I've contributed to your lack of confidence. It is my fault that you barely made it through middle and high school."

"That's not true," I argue. "You were the only reason I passed."

"But I should've encouraged you more." He gives me a knowing look. "I know you stopped trying because I overshadowed you so much. You figured that even if you tried your best, it wouldn't matter, because everyone's attention was focused on me. I'm sorry."

I stare at him. "How do you know me so well?"

"Well I ___am_ your twin after all." Cody smiles a little. "And for what it's worth, I've always had faith in you. That's why I helped you so much. I know how great you really are."

His words make all the worries and doubts in my mind disappear. I smile back at him. "You're not only my twin, Cody, but my best friend."

"Thanks, Zack. You're my best friend too."

I scoot over and hug my brother tightly. He hugs me back just as tightly. We pull away when we here the door of the suite open. "Boys! I'm home!"

"Well, might as well break the news," I say nervously.

"It'll be fine," Cody says reassuringly. "The worst thing Mom could is hug you to death."

We get off the bed and leave our bedroom. "Hey guys," Mom greets us cheerfully. "How was your day?"

Cody speaks first. "Well, Zack finally checked his grades."

Mom raises an eyebrow. "And…"

I glance at my twin nervously. He smiles at me encouragingly. I swallow hard. "Straight A's."

Her eyes grow wide. "You also got straight A's?"

I look down at the floor subconsciously. The surprise and disbelief in her voice is like a punch in the gut. "It's true," Cody injects. "I saw them."

Suddenly Mom rushes over and hugs me tightly. A huge grin is on her face. "Oh Zack, honey. I'm SO proud of you! I always knew you had the potential to do well. That is wonderful news."

Hearing that kind of praise makes all the pain go away. For the first time in a long time, I feel good on the inside. I glance at my twin again, who gives me a thumbs up. I hug my mom back just as tightly. It feels so good to know that my family always have and always will have faith in me.

******The End**

******Thanks for reading. Please review :)**


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